Doll Face
by orderofmarnie
Summary: Ex - Auror, Hermione Granger wants a family. One year after the war Hermione and Draco get married to prove they can conquer anything, six months later Hermione realized that Draco married the office instead, and they get a divorce. On a Holiday Hermione runs into Ron and has a swift romantic engagement. Can Draco save their marriage? Will Hermione want him too?


**Doll Face**

Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley walked into the office at the Ministry of Magic on warm summer evening of 1999. A year ago she would never have imagined herself pining at the hands of the Ministry, _doing government work,_ as Ronald put it but Harry was around here somewhere. She had always found herself using her healer skills or maybe even helping Luna's father out with the Quibbler, in the newspaper business... Here she found she was part of a system that was organized, like worker ants, traveling to and fro doing mundane tasks or as equally adventurous. There was part of her that liked the organization and the expectancy of it all. Even when she went on adventurous trips she found herself setting into a routine she had to break out of. Draco was there by her side, keeping her going. He excelled at his work – catching the criminals and those that had escaped their first few trials at the end of the war last year. There was still so much paper work and envelope pushing to do… she could hardly believe it. Hermione looked up to Draco in this setting. She found him intriguing. Here he was, finally someone who could keep up with her mental space. She found it refreshing. After they married, Draco couldn't keep his mind off the work. With the final tasks of filing and catching to do, they would be partners in crime to keep the workload down. That was the final straw. Hermione divorced Draco six months later…

Hermione greeted her old office friends as she walked through the office hall, smiling at the friends she had made at her time with the Auror floor at the Ministry of Magic.

"Hello, Jeanie!" Hermione greeted the owlery delivery agent,

"Hermione! Welcome back, are you here to stay?" Jeanie asked delightfully.

Hermione shook her head, "No sorry, just in to see the boss."

"Do you want me to announce you?"

"No thanks, I am fully capable of announcing myself," Hermione laughed, and started to walk through the gate to the next hall. She backtracked when she remembered who was following her around the office.

"Ron, why don't you hang back for a few minutes, I promise I'll be right out." Hermione explained.

"I don't know Hermione, I could just come with you. It's not like we didn't have classes together just two years ago," Ron backed up and shrugged his shoulders.

"I know, I know but it might make him nervous, you know… He's only had me to deal with since school and it might put him out of sorts. Really it will only be a few minutes."

"Alright, well I'll be right out here if you need me, he used to be a good punching bag I'm sure he'd like to feel a bit nostalgic again," Ron suggested and had a seat near the front desk.

"I'll come running if you're needed dear," Hermione smiled and continued through to the desk hall. The noise of the typewriter and the scratching of the pen ink felt like familiar music.

The room was open, filled with desks with Aurors and Desk Jockeys swarming around the room, flying memos to and fro each other, which made Hermione duck her head to avoid getting a paper cut to the face. She made her way through the winding obstacles, to get to Draco's office which was the biggest cubical in the room. It was amazing, what a year working for the Ministry would do for your reputation. She stood short of his desk, patting down the wrinkles in her skirt and smoothing out her jacket. Just before straightening her hat, he stood up and faced her for the first time in six months. Draco smiled upon greeting her, "Still trying to impress the boss man… eh Granger?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, _he was still up to his games._ "Draco..."

"So… you come all the way from your holiday and cut it short, just to flatten your skirt and straighten your hat just for me? Well that must mean you're coming back to the Auror floor!" Draco deduced.

"For once in your short non-misdirected life you're wrong Draco Malfoy," Hermione answered shortly.

"It must be true, Granger and I'll tell you why. We've just hit the biggest crack on the Lestrange case since the war ended! And this is why you're back, to help us catch Lestrange?"

"You've got a lead?!" Hermione exclaimed, shook her head and then re-centered before Draco would get his hopes up, "—I mean, that's wonderful Draco, I am happy for you, but no that's not why I am back."

"Oh, oh I get it," Draco said solemnly, "you've come back because, Shacklebolt was discovered as a spy, and has been undiscovered as a double agent until now…"

Hermione shook her head, knew this was apart of a game he liked to play called two truths and a lie. Though sometimes his lies were better but this time it was like he wasn't even trying. "No, no Draco, that isn't why I'm here either."

"Ah well then you must be here to come back to me!" Draco smirked and walked back to his desk to have a seat and put his feet up on the desk relaxed as Hermione followed him into his cubical. "Otherwise, why would you come see your old man at work, if not to watch him in his most natural habitat."

"Ah ha there, there in lies the Draco Malfoy I came up here to talk to today," Hermione laughed. "Finally I came here to tell you –" She was cut off by the sound of an alarm, thirty memos swarmed Draco's desk and his eyes lit up. "—Hermione! Don't you realize what this means?" Hermione was busy shielding her face from the paper birds, "Lestrange! Hermione!" She looked up just long enough to see Draco reading one of the biggest memos. "This is great!" he kept reading lost in the excitement.

"—DRACO!" Hermione yelled through the noise of the flapping paper tried to deliver itself to Hermione and the alarm still going off. As she yelled, Draco produced his wand and a spark of light appeared, " _Immobulus_!" the birds stopped flapping. Hermione took a moment to straighten out her hair and her hat before trying to speak again. "Look, Draco, the _only_ reason why I've come back here today, is to tell you to stop sending me owls every day - "

"—Oh I send a beautiful letter don't I… Did you get the flowers?" Draco smiled.

"—Yes but I -"

"—Oh I knew you'd like them. You just had to tell me in person, I am -"

"Aren't you going to listen to anything I have to say?" Hermione questioned him, annoyed. "Of course!" he exclaimed and sat down excitedly kicking his feet back up on the desk. Hermione straightened her posture and pushed a few of the floating memos out of the way… "You must stop owling me, and sending your gifts. I, I came up here today because I am getting married."

Draco's mood dropped significantly, his feet dropped to the floor. "Married, huh?"

Hermione sighed, "Well finally I have told you what I've finally came up here to say."

"Well congratulations I guess." Draco stood up and kicked his feet. "Whose the lucky fellow?"

Hermione shook her head, "Mmm Nope, I'm not going to tell you."

"Ah I know him then, well it is a small world," Draco responded smirking.

"Of course it is. You wouldn't have any trouble figuring it out, therefore I'm not saying anything."

"Well is he here? I'd like to see him. It's been a while since we've seen our old school mates," he started to walk towards the front of the room, looking for someone familiar. Hermione adjusted her bag on her arm and followed quickly behind him on his heal. Her heart raced, Hermione wasn't sure what Ron and Draco's reaction would be if they saw each other again. She tried to side step Draco and get in front of him, but Draco's legs had a longer stride.

"Ah! I'd know that _red hair_ anywhere," Draco exclaimed with an open arm gesturing to the redheaded man sitting in the waiting area. Ron stood up, nearly equally as nervous as Hermione, he played with the hem of his jumper. Hermione stood quickly next to Ron to be able to prevent one or the other from throwing a punch.

"Ron, you remember Draco Malfoy," Hermione gestured her eyes towards the blonde.

"Hermione, it's only been a year... since we left school…" Ron whispered to her as if she didn't have to be so formal with the pair. Hermione had hoped they could be professional.

"A lot can happen in a year Weasley," Draco interrupted.

"Sure can," Ron rolled his eyes at the comment, "How do you do?" he begrudgingly greeted Malfoy with a firm handshake. "Listen Hermione, don't we have that dinner with George and Alicia?"

Hermione nodded, "Yes, of course. Alright Draco, I hope you understand."

"Now hang on a minute its not yet one in the afternoon. Come out with me for a lunch? And you too Weasley." Hermione felt Draco grab her elbow by habit, as he used to escort her out. Hermione paused walking before Ron noticed, and then walked to catch up with Ron… "Alright Draco, but we can't be long." Hermione accepted, as she was rather hungry she wasn't sure if she could wait until dinner.

"Of course not…I won't keep you." Draco smirked as he ushered the pair of them out the door to a small local restaurant around the corner from the Ministry…

* * *

 _A/N :_

This is my first story in a while or anything written in the HP universe in quite some time. I'm used to long form RPG. I thought a twist on the story post-war would be fun. This will be a slow burn story, so I will be pleased to have you stick by me for the duration. It hasn't been seen by a beta yet, but if there is interest I will consider getting one. Thanks for the reads in advance.

My muses: His Girl Friday and My Man Godfrey

\- Marnie.


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